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Dietary Restriction and Beta-Cell Sensitivity to Glucose in Adult Male Rhesus Monkeys

¹ Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, Madison.
² Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin–Madison.
³ Department of Physiology
⁴ Department of Nutritional Sciences
⁵ Department of Biostatistics, University of Alabama–Birmingham.

We examined the effects of dietary restriction (DR) and age on ß-cell function and peripheral insulin sensitivity in rhesus monkeys. A semipurified diet was provided either ad libitum for 8 hours/day to controls (C) or as 70% of baseline intake to restricted (R) animals for 10 years. The minimal model of C-peptide secretion and kinetics and the labeled 2-compartment minimal model of glucose kinetics were identified using plasma glucose, C-peptide, and insulin concentrations during an intravenous glucose tolerance test. R monkeys had less body fat, lower basal ß-cell sensitivity to glucose (Ø_b), greater insulin sensitivity, and lower first-phase plasma insulin response. DR did not significantly affect first-phase and second-phase ß-cell sensitivity to glucose. Indices of body fatness were highly predictive of the effect of DR on Ø_b, fasting insulin concentration and insulin responses to glucose. Enhanced peripheral insulin sensitivity among R monkeys was strongly correlated with lower Ø_b.